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What am I in for?

Tomorrow I am going to pickup an 11 year old CAG that has not left his cage in a year. The owners that have him now have had him his whole life but I guess things got tuff or something and he has been stuck in his cage for the past year. I figure until he settles in I will not try changing his food since he has been on this food for years now (or should I?). Right now he is on something from Kaytee. I am totally ready to take all the time he needs and go at any pace he seems comfortable with. The present owner told me he was hand raised and for 10 out of his 11 years he has been an active member of their family with nothing bad to say. I was also told that he doesn't have any toys or only 1, I don't totally remember. I went out yesterday to "look" at toys and ended up coming out of the store with 4 bags of toys...lol.

So please throw some tips my way or just tell me what I am in for.....

I have already talked with my vet and she wants to wait just a bit on his first checkup, she doesn't want to stress him. So I am supposed to call her on Monday and tell her how he is acting. She has given me a whole list of things to look at and if need be I will pay the extra to have the vet come out to the house and examine him here.

Re: What am I in for?

Wow. This touches my heart. My Ross is an imported TAG and when I met him he was cage-bound. He had one homemade toy made of a splintery painted wood that I regretted having to take for his own safety.

We bonded right away but since he was wild and had never tamed, it did take two full years before I could pet him. I am happy I waited and learned to read his body language. At least your new grey was social once, so it probably won't take as long. Even if it does, Ross is the most rewarding friend I've ever made.

To get him to come out of his cage I used meal time. I made a meal, sat on the floor, and placed a paper dish on the floor in front of his open door. He stepped out tentatively every time, though it usually took him until the end of the meal. I took advantage of his natural desire to eat with the flock to help develop our early bond, and it really worked for us.

Also, since he was so wild, I asked him permission if I had to come into his cage -- I know it sounds silly, but he responded to it. I would use my eyes and little gestures while explaining what I meant to do very calmly, and somehow my brilliant little guy got my drift <3

It's hard work but it's worth it. I am still the only one who can touch him, but he is very confident and he loves to explore.

I wonder what happened to your CAG? I hope you post pics of him enjoying his new toys. Ross didn't really know how to play with toys at first, but he figured out how fast